Fireshower
by Sethoz
Summary: The death of an old friend results in the birth of a new enemy. Meanwhile Pyro struggles to come to terms with his past. -Sequel to Incendiarism- Part 4.
1. Battleground

Disclaimer: Welcome! Welcome to the sequel to "Incendiarism". It's the second in a trilogy. Yes, it's a trilogy. The 'Eden Mutants' trilogy.   
  
Buy now at all good book stores! (Ahem - I'm slightly high on sugar. Excuse me.)  
  
Now, before you read this, then promptly log out in disgust, hear me out. The 'amazing' thing that happens to Spark in this part is NOT A GOOD THING. It's not a magical power she had and she just didn't tell anyone. It's the forces of evil, not good. Are we clear?   
  
Good, I'd hate for her to turn Mary-Sue on me.   
  
Thanks for all the encouraging words for my last story! While Incendiarism did have a almost complete ending, sadly this won't. There will be a cliff-hanger to bridge the gap between the this and the last one. (Sorry, but I've tried to write it as one and it just doesn't work.)  
  
I don't own X-Men, John, The Brotherhood or anything used in this story.  
  
Please read this then leave a review.  
  
~~~  
  
Fireshower.  
  
~~~  
  
Part 1:- Battleground.  
  
It had been six months since the saga of 'Ash' had happened. Five months since John had worked up the courage to ask Rogue out. Life was slowly returning to normal at the mansion. John and Spark were being welcomed into normal, everyday life.  
  
Apart from the odd nightmare, John could almost forget what had happened. Almost being the important word there. He could blank it from his memory.  
  
He didn't know how clever Andrew really was, even if it was a sort of insane clever. He didn't know everything Andrew did while in control of his body. If he had known maybe he could have stopped what was about to happen.  
  
The X-Men had been ambushed by the Brotherhood, bent on revenge. It had taken six months for Magneto to recover from the injuries he had received fighting Ash. As soon as he was healthy he had attacked the X-Men, taking them all by surprise.  
  
John moved in and out of the fighting mutants, nipping into a battle when he was needed then with-drawling. He wasn't too sure about fighting anymore, wasn't too sure about using his powers.  
  
Truth to be told, he was scared.  
  
"John!" The scream tore through the air, hitting him in the face. He spun round, trying to locate the sound before his eyes were dragged upwards. A little way away up in the air was Magneto... and held, struggling in his arms was Spark. John stared upwards, fear in his eyes. Every fiber of him froze, he didn't know what to do, should he use his powers?  
  
//I could hurt Spark.\\ he thought. Magneto took advantage of his indecision to grab the girl's head and twist it.  
  
There was a loud 'crack'. It sounded harsh, un-natural. Every mutant froze, every eye drawn to where Spark was, her neck at the wrong angle. Her body hung in the air rather like a puppet with it's strings cut. The body looked strangely at peace, almost restful. Then it dropped to the ground and rolled down the pit, located just under her.  
  
John couldn't see, couldn't think. He ran towards where Spark was, blind to everything that was going on around him. None of the other mutants had moved, not even the members of the Brotherhood. Magneto remained in the sky, marking the place where he and Spark had fought. But John saw none of this.   
  
He jumped down the hole, his feet slipping on the loose soil, to where Spark lay, her limbs limp. John reached her and placed his hand on her cheek. It was still warm. Desperately he scooped her up in his arms, freezing when her head rolled backwards.   
  
She was dead. Her neck was clearly broken, she was almost decapitated.  
  
"No." he muttered, rocking backward and forth, her body still held in his arms. "Yasmin..." he sobbed. He looked up, his eyes still covered in tears to where Magneto was still floating.  
  
"You." he spat, already reaching for his lighter.   
  
~~~  
  
John looked numbly ahead. The battle had ended almost immediately after Magneto's attack. The Brotherhood had simply melted away, leaving the X-Men alone.  
  
"John?" Rogue said, coming over to where he was sitting. "Are... how are you feeling?"  
  
"I dunno. Like my sister just died." John said. "It's my fault. I froze Rogue, I fucking froze! I was so scared of doing something to hurt her, like I hurt you that I didn't do anything. And now she's dead." he shook his head.  
  
"I'm so sorry John." Rogue said, her gaze full of sympathy.   
  
"I... I wanna be alone for a bit, if you don't mind." he muttered, his head bowed.  
  
"Of course." Rogue said, standing up and moving away. John looked at his shoes. The lace of his right trainer had come loose. Every time he tried to focus on the fact that Spark was gone for good his mind was pulled back to the loose lace.   
  
//When had it come loose?\\ he asked himself. It had been tight during the battle, of that he was sure of. //Sometime after then...\\  
  
The lace was frayed at the end. Funny that. He must have stepped on it and pulled some of the treads out.  
  
There was dirt of the lace. He rubbed at it, gently at first but then with more pressure, more anger.  
  
"Woah, slow down John." Rogue said, having come back after seeing him rub furiously at his lace. He lifted a tear stained face to look at her.  
  
"Yasmin is gone and all I can think about it this lace. Why is that?"  
  
"I'm not sure... people in a state of shock tend to focus on tiny things. It... It helps them get past it."  
  
~~~  
  
Logan lifted the still corpse and carried it towards the jet, wincing ever so slightly every time the head moved, a grisly reminder that she was dead. He passed John and Rogue, the former buried in the latter top, a soft sniffing coming from it.  
  
He passed Bobby and Cyclops, both faces devoid of expression. He passed Kurt and Storm, Kurt offering a prayer to the heavens.  
  
They had all knew her and while none felt her death as deeply as John, they all felt something.  
  
She was much to young to have died.  
  
~~~  
  
Spark's body had cooled by now. It was placed in the back of the jet, in it's own little space where no one could see it. This was to give anyone who wanted to sit with her a little privacy. A slow crack came from the still body. The neck began to bulge as incredibly, the bones began to knit themselves back together.   
  
She opened her eyes and teleported off the Jet.  
  
TBC...  
  
There you have it. She is not some kind of un-killable mutant. She's supposed to be dead, something bad has happened. (Sorry to keep hammering this point but a friend said that it could be mistaken for something good. Which made me paranoid.)  
  
Please leave your review by the door!  
  
Next part to this soon! (I hope.)  
  
Thanks!  
  
~Sethoz 


	2. What's in a Name?

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. Plain and simple. You won't find my name on anything connected to X-Men.  
  
Thank you to "raven" and "dstrbd child", who reviewed the last part.  
  
Enjoy, please leave a review.  
  
~~~  
  
Fireshower  
  
~~~  
  
Part 2:- What's in a Name?  
  
John had an overwhelming desire to vomit. It was all his fault, his. It was because of him that Spark was dead. Why had he hesitated?   
  
He lent back, closing his eyes and concentrated on breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out. He breathed in though the nose and out though the mouth.   
  
He could still see her cooling body, still hear the terrible crack her neck made. The way her head moved in his arms, her eyes open and staring at the sky, never to see anything again. The complete and utter stillness of her body. The lack of remorse on Magneto's face. He could see it all.  
  
John threw up.  
  
~~~  
  
Rogue lead him out of the Jet, his whole body rigid and still. John stared blankly ahead, as they passed other students. Word had spread though the mansion faster than the speed that they were walking, which meant that everyone already knew.   
  
He didn't see the looks the other mutants gave him, the shuffling of feet, or hear the small words, meaning to comfort but how could they? How could those few words make it all go away?  
  
"I'm so sorry Johnny." Bobby said, placing a hand on his shoulder. John stopped and turned to face Bobby, a cold, empty look in his eyes. Bobby almost took a step backward, out of sheer fear.   
  
The look in his eyes wasn't a look of anger or hate. It was empty. So empty that he couldn't see anything of his friend in their. The look faded from John's eyes to be replaced by a hurt, tired look.  
  
"Why should you be sorry?" John said harshly, blinking rapidly. "You had nothing to do with it." he turned away, physically removing himself from both Bobby's and Rogue's touch. He also seemed to remove himself mentally, curling up inside himself and hiding away from the world. Bobby puled his hand back and stared at Rogue helplessly. She just gave him a look of pain, raw pain for both the death of Spark and being unable to help her boyfriend.   
  
John stood a little way away from them both, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the Jet. Even though he was standing a fair distance away, he could still see Logan.  
  
The other man was standing a few feet away, waving his arms about, his claws shooting in and out with a worrying lack of control. He was talking - or auguring - with Professor Xavier, who seemed his normal, silent self.  
  
Finally Logan turned, throwing up his arms in a sign of defeat. He moved up the ramp to the inside of the Jet. The whole time John simply stood there, his eyes glued to the scene, unable to look away.  
  
//Any minute now, he's going to bring her body out, oh God, she's dead, she's really dead.\\ he chanted inside. Rogue stepped up to him and gently placed her hand in his pocket and pulled out his clenched fist, slipping her own gloved fingers into his.  
  
Without tearing his eyes away from the scene that was about to happen, John squeezed the fingers, a sign of thanks. Rogue smiled and looked back to the jet, tears forming in her eyes.   
  
Suddenly there was a roar, so loud that it could be heard from every mutant in the school. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction it came from. John and Rogue began to run, hands still held, towards the jet, Bobby a few feet behind them.  
  
The roar had come from the jet, the roar had come from Logan. The three teenagers skidded to a stop at the bottom of the ramp as Logan came walking down, his arms empty of Spark's body.  
  
"Where is she?" John asked in panic.  
  
"She's... she's not there." Logan said slowly, a terrible confusion on his face. He looked over to where Xavier sat, only to see him as confused as the rest. John sank to the floor, both arms around Rogue, his eyes unseeing.  
  
"H-how can she just be gone? She couldn't just get up and teleport herself off the jet now could she!" he yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He turned to Professor Xavier, silently asking questions, questions that needed answers. Answers that Charles Xavier just didn't have. John hid his face in Rogue's jacket, his shoulders shaking. Rogue bent her head, feeling hot salty tears fall from her eyes.  
  
She couldn't bring herself to care that someone might see her crying.  
  
"How the hell did her body just get up and vanish!" Logan hissed in Xavier's ear. The bald man shrugged his shoulders, a troubled look in his eyes.  
  
"I don't know. There is something about this I don't like. I can not believe Erik is capable of such... senseless death."  
  
"Believe it bub." Snarled Logan. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. He just killed her like she was some sort of bug."  
  
"I'll use Cerebro, to try and find any member of the Brotherhood. Maybe they know more about this than we think." Xavier said after a short silence while he thought. Logan placed a hand on the arm of his wheelchair.  
  
"If I were you, I would find the Brotherhood before he does." Logan said, nodding his head in the direction of John. "Believe me, once Pyro has had some time to think about this, he will go after Magneto. And I'm not going to let Rogue get dragged into this." The Wolverine removed his hand and stalked off in the direction of the mansion.  
  
Xavier remained where he was, his head bowed, a frown on his face, deep in thought. He was so still that Scott thought he had fallen asleep. Scott placed his hand on the other's shoulder, intending to shake him gently and was surprised to see The Professor's head snap up, his eyes bright, not a trace of sleep in them.  
  
"No, Scott, I wasn't sleeping." he said, a faint, almost non-existent smile on his face. He looked over to where the jet still stood, silent, empty.  
  
"I suppose it has been completely searched?" he asked. "There is no way that a Brotherhood could sneak on board and steal her body for some purpose?" Scott frowned, completely puzzled.  
  
"There is nothing on board that could suggest that happened..." he began slowly. "But we were all shaken, when we left the Jet... someone could have slipped out then. Maybe... why do you ask?"  
  
"There was someone else on that Jet. Someone or something." Xavier said in a low whisper. "I sensed a trail it left. It's something I've never sensed before... it's something new." He wheeled his chair away, Scott paused for a moment then followed.   
  
John was still in a boneless heap in Rogue's arms. They sat there in the quiet, each listening to the other breathing, feeling the heartbeat of the other one, as a way of reassuring themselves that they were both alive. It was growing dark before John moved.  
  
"Thanks..."  
  
"You're going to go after him." Rogue stated. John laughed, a low, bitter laugh.  
  
"No." he answered. Rogue looked at him, one eyebrow raised in a questioning glance. John leaned forward, catching her lips with his own. After a few seconds they parted.   
  
"I'm not going after him... not until I find her." he finished. Rogue looked at him, a new understanding on her face that was not there before.  
  
"I know." she said, placing the gloved palm of her hand on his cheek. "Now I know."  
  
~~~  
  
Professor Xavier sat by the window, the last dying rays of the sun falling on his still face. He looked down at the garden, where the two teenagers were slowly walking up to the mansion, hand in hand. He sighed deeply and turned away, facing the dark of his room.  
  
"Oh Erik." he said. He seemed to be speaking to the room, however he was talking to a old friend, his thoughts flying out in all directions.  
  
"Erik. Old friend. What have you done?"   
  
It may have just been a trick of his mind, his memory playing tricks on him, but he could have sown that a voice answered him, coming out of the dark and fading back into it.  
  
"I do what I must."  
  
"As so I, Erik. As do I." Xavier said.  
  
~~~  
  
Downtown L.A..  
  
The mutant stared at the building, her eyes narrow. She stalked to the front door and pushed it open, climbing the steps that were directly inside the front door. She had got halfway up them when a yellow faced person stuck his head out of a door. Toad gave a yelp as he saw what he thought was the ghost of Spark climbing the stairs.  
  
"Bugger! You're supposed to be dead!" he said in panic. He backed away as she carried on advancing towards him, her lips pressed tightly together. Toad stuck his tongue out but before it got anywhere near her she had teleported and reappeared a few feet nearer. Toad moved further and further away, wishing he wasn't the only one here. After leaving the X-Men the Brotherhood had split up each going to different safe houses in case they were hunted by John in revenge for Spark's death. The next day they were all too meet up at a certain location. Which meant that Toad wasn't going to be getting any back up any time soon.  
  
"Spark..." he said. The girl raised an arm, still silent. He found himself backing further and further away until the coldness of the window stopped him. He was trapped.   
  
"My name is not Spark." she said, her voice was intermingled with another. It sounded as if two people were talking at the same time, a man and a woman. There was also a metallic tang to the voice. Toad didn't have time to think about this however, as she pushed her arm forward, electrify flying out of it. It hit in right in the chest, sending him flying right through the window and down to the pavement below. The girl walked forward and looked down at the prone body, no expression on her face.  
  
"My name is Fireshower." she said in the same double tone as before. She turned and entered one of the many rooms.  
  
Inside was a single bed, a dusty cupboard and not much else. She looked round and nodded once or twice, seeming satisfied. She walked in and opened the cupboard, pulling out some red satin sheets.  
  
She spread them on the bed before climbing on it herself and lying down.  
  
"Tomorrow's going to be a big day." she said in her double voice. "People to see, things to steal, mutants to kill and all manner of fun things." Fireshower finished then closed her eyes.  
  
On the pavement outside it began to rain on the still body of Toad.  
  
TBC...  
  
There you have it, the second part! Please leave a review!  
  
~Sethoz 


	3. Face To Face

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. Plain and simple. You won't find my name on anything connected to X-Men... isn't that so sad. All I own is Spark... and Fireshower.  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last part!   
  
Please read then review!  
  
Fireshower.  
  
~~~  
  
Part 3:- Face to Face.  
  
~~~  
  
The rain still fell. It had been raining for nearly ten hours now and still showed no signs of stopping. It beat softly on the roof, making a tune. If Fireshower had been any other person, she would probably have found it restful.  
  
But she wasn't any other person, she was Fireshower, so she didn't find it restful. She opened the fridge and let out a growl of anger. There was nothing to eat. Which meant she would have to steal something which would waste time, time that she needed to spend doing something else. Fireshower slammed the fridge door shut and stalked out of the room and up the stairs.   
  
The broken window loomed ahead of her, rain falling through it onto the floor in front of her. She moved forward, the breeze lightly ruffling her hair. She took a final step and peered out the window, a pleased smile on her face. It faded to be replaced by a frown, followed by a yell of anger.  
  
Toad's body had gone.  
  
~~~  
  
The two scientists were bent over a table, a metal object their focus.   
  
"This is amazing!" The first one said. The younger and fatter of the two seemed less interested or amazed.  
  
"It's just an improved jet pack, that due to some designer and his flight of fancy looks like a pair of wings." he said. The first scientist waved his arms about in his excitement, his gaze pitting.  
  
"You don't understand. This is faster, lighter and more controllable than a simple jet pack. Not only that, but it has new stealth technology that enables the wearer to become invisible for up to ten minutes!"  
  
"That's so interesting boys. Thanks for sharing." A voice said, coming out of the showers towards them. It was a voice that sounded as if two people were talking at the same time. A teenage girl walked into the her hips swinging suggestively. She gave a the two men a smile, that was full of promise.  
  
"You're friends sent me over for a surprise." she said, moving closer to the older of the two. She placed her hands on her chest, right under her breasts. The man pulled at his collar, suddenly feeling very hot.   
  
The girl moved closer and placed her hands on the man's chest, the seductive smile still on her face. The man smiled back at her.   
  
Suddenly his face froze, his mouth dropping open in surprise. The man began to shake, a scream being torn from his mouth. The younger man backed away in fear as his friend dropped to the ground, blue electrify still shooting all over him. The girl looked up, her eyes fixed on the younger man, her smile still in place.  
  
In that moment, he knew he was going to die. He accepted the fact with a dignity that surprised him. So he was going to die by some mutant, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. He knew there was nothing he could do. All this passed though his mind faster than it took to blink. As if from a great distance he saw the bolt of lightning fly towards him.   
  
He didn't even feel it hitting him.  
  
Fireshower looked at the result of her work and let the seductive smile drop from her face. She moved with military precision, destroying all records of the wings before taking them. She placed them on her back and threw her head back, letting a high pitched laugh escape as she did so.   
  
The next stage was complete. Now to take out the next member of the Brotherhood. And when the Brotherhood were all dead, The X-Men would be next... starting with a certain St. John Allardyce.  
  
~~~  
  
Becky walked along the pavement, her hands clutched tightly around her brown paper bag, her eyes looking this way and that. She kept hearing noises behind her but when ever she turned to check she was met by empty space. She shivered and sped up, glad that her home was only a minute or two away.  
  
But then she had read in the papers only the other day about a 22 year old man who had been knifed to death a few feet away from his own house. You just weren't safe anymore. Becky heard a twig snap behind her.  
  
She broke into a run, her long coat flapping against her bare legs. She turned onto her street, still at a run. She was nearly there, she was nearly safe.  
  
At that moment, a female face suddenly appeared right in her line of vision. She felt strong arms grip her shoulder and then - she was flying, air blowing past her hair. There was a sharp sound and then, the next moment she wasn't in her own street anymore, she was in some kind of park.  
  
She saw a hand moving towards her very rapidly, then she knew no more.  
  
Fireshower stepped back and surveyed her handiwork with a proud look. It had been the coat that had first attracted her attention. When she noticed the packet of cigarets inside the brown bag the young woman had been carrying her mind had been made up.  
  
The woman now lay face down in the dirt. Fireshower bent down and felt her her neck - she was still alive. For a second Fireshower debated with herself over if she should kill the woman or not.  
  
After a brief second she shrugged her shoulders and began to strip the woman of the long black leather coat she was wearing. Why bother killing her? Anyway, Fireshower would have to hurry if she wanted to get to her next appointment in time. Fireshower pulled off her metal wings.  
  
The mutant slipped into the coat, it fit her perfectly. She let her blond hair spill over the collar, while she put her wings back on. Then she picked up the packet of cigarets. All this was done in a single unstopping monition. She turned away from the still body and pulled out a single cigaret.   
  
It took her a moment to realize she had nothing to light it with. Fireshower shrugged her shoulders and pointed a finger at one of the trees surrounding her. A bolt of lightning came from the sky and stuck the tree. A fire leapt up on the tree from the place where it had been stuck.   
  
Fireshower moved forward, her new leather jacket flapping slightly. She bend down and lit the cigaret, using the fire, one end of it still in her mouth.  
  
She gave a contented sigh and took a deep breath of smoke. Instantly she began couching as her lungs rejected the smoke, tar and nicotine.  
  
"Stupid! Stupid!" she yelled at herself. This new body had never smoked, unlike her old body. She had been a fool to expect it to simply accept the smoke. She carried on couching, at each inward breath she seemed to take in more and more of the smoke. After a minute or two she dropped down to her knees and threw up.   
  
She gently climbed to her feet and began to brush herself down, shooting the odd hateful look at the still form of Becky as she did so. In her mind, Becky was reasonable for the last few minutes.  
  
If she only had more time she would teach the filthy little Homo sapiens a lesson. As it was she was already nearly out of time. She would have to get there in the next minute or she would be too late.  
  
"Let the games begin." she said, again in that curious double tone of hers, before activating her wings and shooting upwards into the air.  
  
~~~  
  
Gambit looked at his cards, then back at the man sitting opposite him. The other was looking very hot and bother as he stared at his cards. Gambit smiled and picked up a card. His smile became more board.  
  
"Gambit." A voice snarled. A bolt of lightning flew past his face, hitting the table. The man he was playing gave a whimper of fear before running.   
  
"Who is asking for Remy?" Gambit asked.  
  
"I am." Fireshower said, appearing out of the shadows. She locked her fingers together and stared at the Cajun, a teasing look on her face. "Remy wanna play?" she challenged him.  
  
~~~  
  
The X-Men's jet flew over the clouds in an effort to mask it's presence. The powerful engines easily pushed the jet towards it's destination. Inside were Storm, Logan, Rogue, Bobby, John and Xavier. The fact that Xavier was actually there in person made everyone feel as if this mission was going to be more difficult that ever.   
  
No-one spoke to John, as no-one knew what to say. He was sitting completely still, his eyes locked on the seat that Spark had used on the last mission.  
  
~~~  
  
The X-Men all walked down the ramp, towards the bar where Xavier had said a new mutant had been sensed. The older man had been reluctant to let John come on this mission, claiming that he needed a brake but John had insisted, even begged to be allowed to go.  
  
Anything to keep his mind busy.  
  
As Storm neared the bar, part of the window exploded, a body flying out. The man scrambled to his feet as Storm let out a small gasp. It was Gambit.   
  
"You no wanna let Pyro in there." he warned Storm. "Trust Remy, he will no like what he see." It was too late though, John had already seen Gambit and was pushing his way towards him, an angry look on his face.  
  
From a distance, Professor Xavier watched.  
  
Fireshower stepped out of the broken window and moved towards Gambit, blocking the exploding card he sent towards her. She jumped up-wards, letting her wings propel her into the air.  
  
"Spark..." John whispered, the color draining from his face as he looked at her. Fireshower stared down at the boy below her, who was looking at her with such shock and surprise on his face. Such a young boy, it was hardly believable that he could be such a threat. She let her lip curl upwards.  
  
"Soon." she promised him, before teleoporting in mid-air.  
  
John remained frozen in place, his eyes glued to the space where Spark had been moments before - or what ever it was in Spark's form. He felt, rather than saw, Rogue move to stand next to him. Her gloved touch was all that John needed to form a plan of action. He turned to face her, brushing a stand of her hair away from her face.   
  
"You really are so beautiful." he whispered, his eyes lingering on her face. He leaned forward and placed a slow, soft kiss on her lips. As always he felt the weird sensation that meant Rogue was draining him of some of his powers. As always he didn't care.   
  
Suddenly the sensation stopped as Rogue pulled back, a wide eyed expression on her face. He knew she had just realized what he was about to do.  
  
"No..." she pleaded, shaking her head. John smiled, a peaceful smile. It was as if he was floating high above all of this.  
  
"I have to. I have to talk to the only people who know what's going on." He said. He cupped his hand around her face.  
  
"I will come back, I promise." he assured her. Rogue nodded, her eyes watery. John half saw, half sensed Professor Xavier, turn towards him, his mind reaching out, his mouth moving, warning Bobby of the danger, Bobby being the person closest to the couple. Even as John closed his eyes in blissful surrender, he knew that neither the Professor or Bobby would be able to stop him in time.  
  
John took a deep mental breath and dived into his mind, hurtling for the locked away part of his brain. As Bobby came running up, John went limp, his body sagging into Rogue's waiting arms.  
  
TBC...  
  
There you have it, next part coming soon!  
  
Leave a review, you know you want to. *flashes her best smile at the reader*  
  
~Sethoz 


	4. Dangerous Mutants

Disclaimer: I don't own The X-Men or The Brotherhood, the only thing I can lay claim to are the Eden Mutants. So sorry, this took so long to post, I have no excuse really. Just been ill and a touch of writer's block. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and especially 'chattypandagurl', who repeatedly asked me to post this part.  
  
For this chapter, John will be called Pyro. The reason will become clear soon.  
  
Cookie's to anyone who can work out where I got the title for this part from!  
  
Fireshower.  
  
~~~  
  
Part 4:- Dangerous Mutants.  
  
~~~  
  
Pyro fell. It was impossible for him to guess how long he had been falling, only that it seemed to have neither a start or an end. He was free falling through the space of his mind, and it felt as if he would just keep falling, with nothing to land on, with no end.  
  
The end, when it came, took him by surprise. He hit the ground on his back, his eyes tightly closed against the light that attempted to invade him. He seemed to lying on some sort of bed, muted voices all around him.   
  
He had failed, he realized with a sickening lurch. The Professor must have pulled him out before he could enter the safety of the closed area of his mind... the Professor was going to kill him and he had nothing to show for it.  
  
"Well, what do you know, you were right. Looks like I owe you ten cents." A female, Irish voice said.  
  
"Looks like you do Alicia." a male voice said. "Hey, Lisa! Get over here, I think he's waking up!" Pyro groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Five faces were grouped round him, all staring down at him with varying degrees of worry imprinted on their faces. Pyro let his eyes move over the five. It was a shock to see these faces after so many years. They all looked so young, so innocent.   
  
His gaze fixed it's self on the last face. At this one, Pyro couldn't stop the gasp of surprise, even though he had known that this person would be here.  
  
"Oh man, this is just too weird." Pyro moaned. His younger-self nodded violently.  
  
"I know... so this is what I look like grown up? Man, am I hot or what!" Young John said. The black haired girl who was standing next to Young John, rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh shut up John." she said in an Irish voice. It was the same voice that had woken Pyro in the first place.  
  
"Alicia?" he asked. The 11-year-old nodded. John shifted his gaze to the serious looking brown boy, who was standing by the foot of the bed.  
  
"Neill." Pyro stated, giving him a nod. Neill returned the nod, smiling, the expression changing his whole face. The girl standing next to him was Lisa, her hair blue, for some reason. Which just left the person standing by his head.   
  
Pyro felt his breathe catch as he stared at the younger version of Yasmin. She looked slightly uncomfortable under his gaze.  
  
"It's good to see you." Yasmin said, fingering one of her plaits. Pyro nodded, pushing himself up-right. He was now able to look over the heads of the Eden mutants and take in his surroundings. Pyro couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his body as he realized he was in the lab. Alicia noticed the shudder.  
  
"Hey, don't blame us." She said, in her lilting accent. "When Ash was locked up in here, the scientists didn't have the imagination to make anything else. Plus all the memories to do with the lab were stored here."  
  
"And us." Neill said. Lisa playfully slapped the back of Neill's head.  
  
"We are just memories as well, you silly." she scolded. Neill rubbed the back of his head ruefully. Pyro, however, was still looking around the room he was in, only this time his expression had changed to confusion.  
  
"Where's Andrew?" he asked. The other's exchanged worried glances.  
  
"We didn't know if you would want to see him. When Ash was stuck here he didn't react very well to John." Alicia said. There was footsteps in the shadows.  
  
"I'm here." A small voice said. There stood Andrew, just as Pyro remembered him from all those years ago with one exception. The green eyes were not hate filled but rather those of a scared little boy.  
  
"I'm not insane. I'm not Ash." Andrew said quickly. Pyro slowly nodded, to show he accepted this, then took a deep breath.  
  
"Just what is going on with Spark?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Young John asked. Pyro could feel his anger rising but fought to keep it under control.  
  
"You know what I mean. Double voice, attacking people and oh yeah, the tiny fact that I saw her die, heard her neck snap, yet she lives."  
  
"Pyro, you have to understand that we are only memories. We know just what you know. So when you ask us, the answer will be something you already know, even if you are refusing to admit you know or if it buried deep in your subconsciousness." Lisa said, her normally laughing face, completely serious.  
  
"Yeah, I get it." Pyro said, wishing they would just stop explaining what he already knew and start telling him what he wanted to know. "I'm really just talking to myself."  
  
"Glad you understand." Neill muttered, "Makes a change."  
  
"Neill!" Hissed Yasmin. "This isn't our John, this is John grown up." Neill pulled a face but muttered an apology.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Hey!" Young John said. "Are you calling me thick?"  
  
"Please. What the hell is going on with Spark?" Pyro begged, completely ignoring the bickering that had begun. Yasmin sighed and gestured for everyone to follow her, banging the heads of Neill and Young John together as she passed.  
  
She led the way into a larger room, which had a table and seven chairs.  
  
"This part of the story of your life starts about two weeks after you joined Magneto." Yasmin began.  
  
"That would have been about the time you... I mean Spark joined the Brotherhood." Pyro said. Yasmin nodded as Andrew took up the tale.  
  
"You see this was before Spark found out that Ash was loose and locked him back in here. Before you know he was loose, Ash was able to take control of your body while you slept, careful not to alert you to his presence." Andrew explained. Pyro pulled a face.  
  
"But Ash could remember everything that happened to me after I left this lab, so why didn't I remember him sneaking around in my body at night?" he asked.  
  
"Simple. Ash only remembered things that happened while he was here. You were never in here, so you never got his memories." Yasmin answered.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying." Andrew said loudly. "Ash knew how the scientists had inserted him into you. He played about with it and finally came up with a way to place himself in Spark as a backup in case anything went wrong. So one night he set it up. If you managed to beat him, he would wake up in Spark's body." Andrew paused, an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
"Something went wrong. We don't know how it happened but instead of waking up in Spark's body he only started to wake up after she had died. Yet even that didn't work as it was supposed to." Andrew finished.  
  
"So Ash is controlling Spark?" Pyro asked. Alicia shook her head.  
  
"We don't know for sure but by the way she's been acting and her voice... well, we think that when the program was activated and her neck was healed, somehow a tiny... well spark of Spark was still in there." Alicia told him.  
  
"That girl isn't Spark or Ash." Yasmin said, in a solum voice. "She's a completely new person. They merged." At that moment a hard, thumping sound could be heard on the roof. Everyone looked up in alarm.  
  
"What is that?" Pyro yelled.  
  
"That would be Xavier's mind hitting the shield." Yasmin said. "You need to wake up now." she added before running off, the other kids right behind her. Pyro stared after her, his face empty of any expression. Then he turned away and walked though the door he had come in.  
  
~~~  
  
"I need to wake up? Great and how do I do that?" Pyro muttered, wandering the corridors a little later.  
  
"You open your eyes of course!" A voice said. Pyro spun around, his eyes trying to locate the body belonging to the voice.  
  
"Hi Pyro... I wanted to talk to you before you left." Andrew said, stepping closer so that the other fire mutant could see him. "I... I wanted to say sorry."  
  
"Sorry?" Pyro asked in surprise. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and looked nervous.  
  
"Sorry about Ash... sorry about Spark." He said quietly. Pyro froze, his expression becoming un-readable.   
  
"Not your fault." he said at last. "Besides you're not really... well, real." Pyro added. Andrew nodded.  
  
"True. But that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty. Anyway... you should wake up, so you can stop Fireshower." Andrew said.  
  
"How am I supposed to do that?" Pyro answered.  
  
"Well... you might be able to reason with her. There will still be some part of Spark in there but you have to remember that there is also elements of Ash." Andrew warned. Pyro nodded. Suddenly he gave a little frown, his gaze fixed on the door behind Andrew, a door marked with the words 'Fire Exit'.  
  
"Hey... that door..." Pyro said slowly. "Does it lead outside?" he asked. Andrew's face lit up, a beaming smile on his lips.  
  
"It took Ash years to work that out!" he said. "Bye Pyro... and good luck." he added. Pyro nodded a little awkwardly and headed towards the door. He had just placed his hand on the metal handle when Andrew spoke again.  
  
"Uh... Pyro?" he said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Pyro turned back to face the 11-year-old, who was nothing but a memory.  
  
"Yeah Andrew?"  
  
"Could you... I mean... could you not forget us this time?" Andrew blurted out. Pyro just looked at him, a confused expression on his face. Andrew hurried on.  
  
"You never think about us and we are a part of you." Andrew said.   
  
"I know..." Pyro admitted. Andrew smiled weakly.  
  
"You better go and stop her quickly." Andrew said, making a 'shooing' monition with his hands. Pyro turned back to the fire exit door and pushed. Light rushed in, covering Pyro's whole body. He only time to blink before the world behind him vanished in the light.  
  
~~~   
  
"I think he's waking up!" A female voice said to Pyro's right. Pyro blinked a few times, letting the world slowly come into focus. Rogue bent her head over Pyro's and smiled.  
  
"I was so worried John..." She muttered quietly. "The Professor's going to be here in a minute... what are you going to tell him?" she asked. Pyro didn't answer, his mind buzzing as he tried to work out what he should do.  
  
He had to find Fireshower and stop her before it was too late, but John was too scared to fight in case he hurt someone, John cared about people, John loved Rogue...  
  
He couldn't let himself be John. He had to be Pyro.  
  
Pyro didn't care about anyone, Pyro liked the fight.   
  
"John?" Rogue asked, a frown on her face. Pyro didn't answer.  
  
"John?" She asked again. This time Pyro answered her, hoping that she would understand.  
  
"The name is Pyro." Pyro said. Rogue gave a sharp intake of breathe and took a step backwards from her boyfriend. Pyro nodded.  
  
"Just Pyro."  
  
TBC...  
  
Hope everyone understood why I called John, Pyro during his meeting with the Eden Mutants... would have been just too confusing otherwise.  
  
Hope everyone enjoyed this and please, please, leave a review!  
  
~Sethoz 


End file.
